The face of the highest paid municipal elected officials in Quebec has changed a lot since 2020. The mayors of Montreal and Quebec both find themselves in the top 5 for the first time since 2017.
With a salary of $211,864, Valérie Plante ranks second just behind the mayor of Varennes. Bruno Marchand, for his part, is in fifth position with a salary of $193,754.
Several candidates for the 2021 elections have promised to lower their mayoral remuneration after the publication of our list.
This is particularly the case of the mayor of Longueuil, Catherine Fournier, who reduced her salary by more than $60,000 once she took office and of Mayor Stéphane Boyer who reduced his salary by $20,000.
“Mme Fournier made political capital by lowering his salary, thinks Danielle Pilette, professor specializing in municipal management at UQAM.
Danielle Pilette, professor specializing in municipal affairs, following the meeting between members of Union Montréal, in Montreal, this Saturday, March 16, 2013.
Archive photo, QMI Agency
A choice
These decreases have ensured that Valérie Plante and Bruno Marchand have joined the top 5 of the best paid elected officials for the benefit of the cities of Longueuil and Laval.
This decision to lower their salaries is up to the municipalities, according to Martin Damphousse, president of the Union of Municipalities of Quebec.
“It’s a political choice that these people are making, there aren’t many who have made this choice,” he believes.
According to Marc Chartrand, senior advisor in overall compensation for the Gallagher firm, the youth movement among mayors has an influence on their compensation.
“When you are young and you have five or ten years of experience in the job market, you are not in the same place as when you are 55 and you go into politics,” he says. .
Marc Chartrand, senior compensation advisor for the Gallagher firm.
Courtesy Gallagher
Accumulation of functions
The combination of functions allowed them to receive higher salaries.
“The reason why it was high is the sum of the different levels of remuneration,” summarizes Mr. Chartrand.
Danielle Pilette, for her part, is surprised to see the mayor of Shawinigan so high in the ranking.
“Shawinigan is a municipality that has great difficulties,” admits the professor.
Anticipate an increase
Due to inflation, several municipal officials have already received significant salary increases since 2022.
For example, in Montreal, elected officials received a 6.7% increase in 2023.
According to Danielle Pilette, municipal elected officials should align with increases in their employees’ collective agreements if inflation is very high.
“Even if inflation is high, we should set an example,” she finds.
Wage freeze for 2024 in Montreal
- The mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, has asked that the salaries of Montreal elected officials be frozen in 2024.
- Normally, the remuneration of Montreal’s 103 elected officials is automatically indexed according to inflation to prevent them from having to vote for a salary increase themselves.
- In 2023, the latter saw their salary increase by 6.7%.
- Depending on current inflation, elected officials in Montreal could have seen their salaries increase by another 5%.